State of Emergency in New London After Water Main Break

The mayor of New London, Conn., has declared a state of emergency after a water main broke, saying residents may lose water for several days.

The water main burst Thursday morning, and repair crews are on the scene. The city says water pressure is stabilizing, and the leak is 75% contained.

The city’s public utilities director issued a mandatory restriction to all non-essential water use for New London and the neighboring town of Waterford. Residents are not being directed to boil water at this time.

In an interview with Fox Connecticut, Mayor Daryl Finizio said that the city was losing water at the rate of 8,000 gallons per minute, or 10 million gallons per day when the break was first discovered. The city uses 7 million gallons of water a day, he said.

Mr. Finizio said it will likely take 24 to 48 hours to repair the leak, which may have been caused by flash floods in the city earlier this week, he said.